


Happily Ever After (The One With The Alternate Ending)

by CuddlerOfDragons



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-09 23:59:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15279084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuddlerOfDragons/pseuds/CuddlerOfDragons
Summary: Title says it all.  For anyone who hasn't read the other version, this is set in the AU of 'Once Upon A Time' where Chloe's dad didn't die.  For some reason this version wanted to be smutty.  Rape and violence are mentioned as something that happened in the past.Anyone who read the other version and wants to skip to the new part, it starts towards the end of chapter two.





	1. Chapter 1

 

“Tell me, if you could have _one_ wish come true, what would it be?” 

The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once or was it just in Chloe’s head?  She looked around, all she could see was a hazy white mist.  Where was she?  How did she get here?  What had happened to her?

“Don’t be shy,”  The gentle voice came again,  “Anything at all; any _wrong_ that you‘d like to put right…?”

The face of her father swam into focus in Chloe’s mind.  The worst thing that had ever happened to her, had been _his_ murder…

***

Her head hurt, her back hurt; she was laying on something cold and hard.  In the dark.

She sat up - she wasn’t restrained or anything, _bonus_ \- she felt around in her pocket for her flashlight.  She had been lying on steps, in a large, circular space with pillars…

Memories of gunfire echoed in her head.  Gunfire and screams of pain and…

Lucifer.

Had he _left_ her here?  She panned the flashlight around, no bodies, no blood, no damage to the art work that was stored here.  No Pierce.

Did she _imagine_ it all?  Did she imagine _Lucifer_?  Crouched next to Pierce’s body, standing up, turning around and…

What had happened to Dan and Ella?  They had been going to send backup, hadn’t they?

***

A few hours later, it was an almost hysterical Chloe that ran past the doormen and into Lux.

Lucifer stood just beyond the top of the stairs, surveying his kingdom, when a young woman cannoned into him.  She pressed her body against his, her arms around him, her tears dampening his shirt.

“Lucifer, I’m _so_ glad you’re here, I’ve been so scared and everything’s _wrong_ and I don’t _understand_ and… he was _dead_.. and now he’s _alive_ and he got older and it’s all _different_ and you…”  She looked up at his face and her voice trailed off.  “You’re not _you_ …”

Her legs buckled and he effortlessly picked her up and carried her, unresisting, to the elevator.

Chloe opened her eyes to find Lucifer sponging her face with a cool, damp cloth.  He was looking at her with concern in his eyes but it was completely impersonal.

“Tell me what you’ve taken, Darling.”  He said, gently.

“Taken?”

“You’re hot, clammy and your pulse is racing.  The things you were saying downstairs made _no_ sense.  _What_ have you taken?”  He put some power into the last sentence and gazed into her eyes.

“ _My_ Lucifer would know that _that_ doesn’t work on me, _or_ the ‘desire’ thing.  There’s only _one_ Devil, right?  So how can there be two of you?”  she asked, sitting up.

“Maybe my brother…”  He said, puzzled.

“Yeah, right.  I’d have to be on _serious_ drugs to mix you up with Amenadiel…”

“I meant my twin… hold on, how do _you_ know Amenadiel?”

“You have a _twin_ … you’ve never said; does _he_ have another face?”

“What do you mean?”  Lucifer asked, trying to bluff her.

“Wow.  That must be why you don’t lie, you’re rubbish at it.  You… _my_ Lucifer had another face; red, burnt, scarred, red fire in his eyes…”

“You _saw_ it?”

“Well, _yeah_.”

“And it drove you insane.”  He said, flatly.

“I’m insane?  So I’m _not_ in a weird reality where my dad _didn’t_ die when I was nineteen, where I’m _not_ a cop, where _you_ don’t know me, where my… oh _no_ , Trixie?”

“Well, judging from the name, _Trixie_ is either a hooker or one of those ghastly handbag dogs…”

Chloe slapped him.  The force of it jarred the bones in her arm and seemed to have no effect on _him_ at all.  She started to cry again and buried her face in his chest.  He tried to ignore how _right_ her head felt, tucked under his chin that way.

“Trixie’s my daughter.” She sobbed, “I don’t even know if she _exists_ in this world.  I went home and someone _else_ lives there, I don’t even know where I _live_ …”

“While you’re ruining my shirt and slapping me around, may I remind you that you have repeatedly told me that I’m not _your_ Lucifer?”

“I know but you’re better than nothing.”

“Well, I have _never_ been called _that_ before.”  He said, with an amused smirk.  “I’d offer you a drink but it might not be safe on top of whatever it is…”

“I am _not_ on _drugs_.  Why _are_ you so down on the idea of drugs, anyway?  You _love_ drugs, you have _nothing_ against them…”

“No but I don’t need the bad publicity.  Just picture the headlines:  Chloe Decker, award winning actress, role model to young women everywhere, totally off her tits at Lux.  I imagine that there are already pictures online, of me carrying you up here.  Hopefully they’ll just think we’re having sex.”

Chloe giggled at that.  For once, she didn’t care what people thought of her.

“If I ever see _my_ Lucifer again, I’m going to tear _all_ his clothes off and finally give him what he’s been after for the last three years.”

“You’ve known me.. _him_ for three years and you _haven’t_ had sex?”

“Is that what I _am_ here?  An actress?”  She asked, ignoring his question.

“Star of the ‘Weaponizer’ films.”

“What happened to Kimo Van Zandt?”

“You were in the first film, together.  _Your_ character was a street kid who stole cars but by the end of the film she’d joined the police.  _Kimo’s_ character was written out.  After that, his career went downhill and these days he’s doing time for murder.”

“For Wesley Cabot?  _He_ didn’t do that.”

“No?  Who did?”

“Ryan Goldburg, their business manager.  Who worked the case?  Do you know?”

“Probably Detective Dildo - king of the open and shut.”

“Would that be Dan Espinoza, by any chance?”

“How’d you guess?”

“He’s my ex-husband… _there…_ not here.  I saw the one from _here_ at the precinct earlier… He’s _nothing_ like the Dan _I_ know; I mean, _my_ ex-Dan has done questionable things but the one here?  He made my skin crawl and I _really_ didn’t like the way this version of him _looked_ at me…”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

“ _Utter_ contempt - like I was something he’d stepped in.  _My_ Lucifer calls _our_ version of him Detective Douche - which suits him, actually.”

“How did _we_ meet?  Was it when Delilah..?”

“Yeah.  Dan wanted me to pin it on Eddie Deacon - the drug dealer who did the shooting - and close it.”

“That’s what _Dildo_ actually did.”

“You.. _other_ you told _me_ what Deacon had said, before he died, so I dug deeper…”

“ _I_ told _him_ , he took no notice.  Who _did_ hire Deacon?”

“Jimmy Barnes.”

Lucifer said nothing but his jaw muscles twitched.

“You and I worked that case together, we cracked it because of the Rolex.  Barnes paid for the hit with the Rolex that Delilah gave him.  He was broke, so he couldn‘t pay cash.  His motive was the profits from her post mortem album sales.  You and I went and confronted him and he shot me.”

She pulled her top down a bit so he could see her scar.  Her vest was clearly visible _and_ the flattened bullet from earlier, that had so nearly missed it.

“Chloe Decker, actress, doesn’t have that scar.”

“You believe me, then?”

“I can tell that you’re not _lying_.  Where’s _this_ bullet from?”

“The shootout earlier today.  You.. _my_ Lucifer protected me.  With his wings, I think.”

Abruptly Lucifer got up and went to the bar.  He poured himself a large glass of something, looked at Chloe and when she nodded he poured her one too.

“The Lucifer that _you_ know, has wings?”

“I _think_ so.  You have to understand that although he’s told me that he’s the Devil, from the start, he’s never tried to _prove_ it.  _Obviously_ , no one believes him.  Ella thinks he’s a method actor.”  Chloe smiles at the thought.  “Ella Lopez, forensic scientist, she works with us.”

“Here, she steals cars.”

“Yeah, she told me once that she used to do that.  So, you‘ve… _he’s_ never tried to prove… oh, except for the time, a few weeks after we met, he goaded me into shooting him.”

“And that wasn’t enough proof, for you?”

“Hardly.  He _bled,_ like a normal human.  It’s odd, though because when Jimmy Barnes shot _me_ , I’m fairly sure that he shot Lucifer, too.  Six times.”

“And I… _he_ didn’t bleed, _then_?”

“No, not ‘til _I_ shot him in the leg a few weeks later.  Anyway, after _that_ I just thought that you.. _he_.. was…”

“Deluded?”

“Compensating for an abusive childhood.  He had these scars, he _said_ from where he had Maze cut his wings off…”

Lucifer swiftly shrugged out of his jacket and shirt and showed his bare back to her.  He still bore the scars that she had seen before.

“Yeah, those.”  She confirmed.

He shrugged the shirt back on but didn’t button it.  The jacket, he left off.

“So, what happened to the two of you that makes you think he has his wings back?”

“It’s complicated.  We were set up by Lt. Marcus Pierce, my boss, who turned out to be a criminal mastermind who calls himself ’The Sinnerman’, only _Lucifer_ said that he was actually Cain - from the Bible.”

“I know who Cain is, he’s in L.A. is he?”

“ _This_ L.A. I don’t know about, _my_ version of L.A., yes.  Anyway, we walked into a trap.  Cain said he would let _me_ live but that he _had_ to kill Lucifer because he knew that he would hunt him down.  I stood in front of Lucifer…”

“You, got between Cain and m.. another version of _me_?”

“ _I_ was wearing a vest, he wasn’t, I’m a cop, he’s a civilian and I _believed_ he was human.”

“Atheist?”

“Yeah, I was.  Now…I find it hard to stomach a father treating his son the way your’s has treated you.”

“ _Then_ what happened?”  Lucifer asked, beginning to admire this woman more and more.

“ _I_ tried to shoot Cain, someone shot _me_ ,”  She indicated the flattened bullet.  “I think I blacked out because the next thing I know I’m on the roof with Lucifer and he sees that I’m alright and there’s this… whooshing noise and he’s gone.  I was pretty sure, then, that he’d been telling the literal truth, all this time.  There was more gunfire so I made my way back to the scene…”

“Is that when you saw his face?”

“He was crouching by Cain’s body, he heard me come in, he stood up, turned around and… I knew that it was all true.  I think I actually _said_ that to him… and there were blood covered feathers everywhere…”

The elevator dinged and Chloe looked up.

“Oh, hey Maze,”  She said, without thinking.

There was a movement of air and Lucifer’s hand was suddenly in front of her as he snatched Maze’s dagger from its lethal flight path.

“That was rude, Maze,”  He said, throwing the dagger back at her.  “You might want to use Jimmy Barnes for target practice, instead.”

“What’d _he_ do?”  Maze asked, her voice low and menacing.

“Delilah.”  Lucifer said, coldly.

Maze nodded.  She glared at Chloe.

“Only my friends get to call me that.”  She snarled.

“Sorry, Mazikeen.  Where I come from, we were room mates for over a year.  You babysat my daughter, you took her trick-or-treating, she _loves_ you…”  She didn’t bother explaining that there’d been a recent falling out.

Maze looked at Lucifer, questioningly.

“She seems to have come from a divergent reality.”  Lucifer explained.  “My Father’s probably behind it.”

“Riiight.”  Maze spun on her heel and left.

“You were, _seriously_ , roomies?”

“Yeah, when she wasn’t off bounty hunting.”  Chloe said, still kinda shocked at the whole knife throwing thing and the creepy half-mask.

“Hunting humans for money, the perfect hobby for her.”

“She’s considered to be the best in the country, it was a bit more than a hobby.  Do you really think that this is down to your Dad?“

“Who else would have the power?  My guess is, _one_ thing changed, in _your_ past and this,”  He gestured around him, “Is the result.  It can’t be a coincidence that _this_ happened after you had had proof that I am who I say I am.”

“My father being alive…  Do you have a computer?”

“Of course.  What did you have in mind?”

“We Google Chloe Decker, actress and see what happened in _her_ life.”

The biography was easy to find and surprisingly detailed, citing ‘Hot Tub High School’ as her first movie (“I’m _so_ glad that you at least made _that_ movie, Detective.”  She shivered slightly when he called her that..)

Her father was still shot but, in _this_ world, not fatally.  (“It’s interesting because it _wasn’t_ a random thing,”  Chloe explained, “I found out, last year, that my dad had been targeted because he was looking into something…”  “Maybe he took it as a warning and stopped looking..”  Lucifer speculated.)

More low grade movies for Chloe and then another big event.  She was kidnapped.

The kidnapping had been uncharacteristically public, with the kidnappers posting footage of her, chained and blindfolded, to the internet.  She had been gone a month, before being dumped, outside the precinct, in a security camera blind-spot.  She had been beaten and raped.

Chloe felt Lucifer tense when he read that part but what _she_ was looking at was the date.  She skimmed down the page of text and, sure enough, she had been off the radar for a full year afterwards.

“Look at the date she was taken, Lucifer.”  She said.

“What about it?  Is it significant?  I wasn’t on earth then.”

“I know.  When she was _first_ taken, was around nine months before _my_ daughter’s birth-date.  It says that she was in a private clinic being treated for PTSD.  For a year.  _Plenty_ of time for her to have had a baby.”

“You think..?”

“Yeah.  I do.  The bio doesn’t mention children or relationships - I can see why she would find it hard to trust men - the baby was probably adopted.”

“This event and how she dealt with it, probably explains why she has been such an inspiration to young women.  Overcoming something _this_ big…”

“Possibly bigger than the public know…”

“Do you think it was a message to your… _her_ father?”

“It seems likely.  The whole thing was just _so_ public and there were no arrests ever made.  I think he got too close to something, for a second time and _this_ was how they warned him off.”  Chloe said, disgusted.

“And _now_ , he just turns a blind eye to everything, letting Detective _Dildo_ and the rest take the easiest options on each case..”

“I need to check…”

Chloe logged on to the police computer, using Dan’s password, valid, even in _this_ reality.

First off, she checked the evidence log for Delilah’s case; Eddie Deacon’s list of possessions included the murder weapon and drugs matching the ones in Delilah’s purse but no cash and no Rolex watch.

“Stolen at the scene, do you suppose?”  Lucifer asked.

“Would have to have been.  I remember Dan saying to me, by the time _I_ got there, that it was probably a fake; so, even in _this_ reality, it didn’t go missing until _after_ the PD arrived.”

“The scene would have been ‘secured’ as soon as they got here…”

“So one of _them_ had to have been the thief.”

“Evidence that would have _convicted_ Barnes, was stolen by police officers.  And they say _I’m_ evil.”  Lucifer said, his voice disgusted.

“You’re not evil, Lucifer.  I’ve seen plenty of evil in my job, you’re not it.”  She said it in a matter-of-fact way that told him that she had probably said it to _her_ version of himself, as well.

“How long did the sweaty little homunculus get, anyway?”

“In my world?  He’s in an institution for the criminally insane.  He raves about The Devil and bangs his head on the walls until he bleeds… I can’t see him _ever_ getting out.”

“He saw my true face, then.”

“How is it your _true_ face?  You didn’t _always_ have it, you were described as the brightest and most beautiful…”

“Looked me up, did you, Detective?”

“At the beginning, yes.”  She said, trying to ignore the way she felt when he called her that.  “I wanted to see what drew you to _that_ persona.  Obviously, I now know that it’s who you _are_.”

“It’s how I looked, when I arrived in Hell.  They broke my wings, chained me and let me fall through atmospheres and dimensions.  I was burnt to a cinder.”

“Show me?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve seen it already but I didn’t get a chance to…”

He changed.  He kept his eyes lowered and did his best to look non-threatening.

“Does it hurt?”  She asked, her voice full of compassion.

“Not now; at the time, very much.”  He was lisping slightly and Chloe realized that his tongue was forked.

“One of my siblings split my tongue with a sword, to remind me that my words got me cast out.  I was unconscious at the time, so I don’t know which one of them it was…”

“Whichever of them is the most cowardly.”  Chloe said, her venomous tone telling him exactly what she thought of whoever had done this.  “You healed, though?”

“Yes.  It took longer than usual, the damage was extensive and I found that the demons I was sharing Hell with, preferred _this_ look, to my natural form.”

“So you kept it.  Like a costume.”

“I suppose so…”  He said, slowly; changing back to his usual self.

“Then it’s _not_ your true form, is it?  It’s more like… _cosplay_.”

“ _You_ should have been a lawyer.”

“No, I like to sleep at night.  Let’s look at some more cases.”

The next one she looked at was the manslaughter of Robbie Russell Jr., for which, it seemed, Nick Hofmeister was doing time.  This left Josh Bryant free to carry on his nasty trade in ‘exclusive’ photographs.  Dead or damaged A-Listers, paying the price for _his_ career.

Ty Huntley had, at least, got a much reduced sentence for the death of Ali Thornton, when blood tests revealed a ‘date-rape’ drug in his system.  His agent, Joe Hanson, valiantly pledged his support at this ‘vile miscarriage of justice’ and publicly stated that he was certain of Ty’s innocence.  Of _course_ he was; as certain as only the true killer _can_ be.

After reading about Carver Cruz’s death at a ‘ransom drop gone wrong- _unsolved_ ‘; Chloe stopped looking.  It was too hard to see _this_ world’s version of the cases that she and Lucifer had worked,  in what she was _now_ thinking of as the ‘real’ world.  They’d _worked_ , ensuring that the _right_ people were punished; to see those same cases being so badly mishandled in a world that _didn’t_ feature Detective Chloe Decker in partnership with Lucifer Morningstar was just _depressing_. 

Did the other detectives working for the LAPD not _care_ about getting it _right_?  It was fairly basic, _surely_?  Convict the wrong person and the guilty party gets to keep on doing whatever they want.  An _innocent_ person goes to jail.  She _couldn’t_ have been the _only_ person working there who _cared_ about that, could she?  Surely the job was about justice not _results_.  Getting a quick result might _look_ good but not if an innocent is convicted while the guilty go free.

“Would you like to stay here for the night?”  Lucifer asked, breaking her train of thought.  “In my guest room, obviously.”

“Thank you.  You’ve been very kind to me.”  She _meant_ it; he had listened to her insane story, believed her and helped her.  “Tomorrow I need to go and see Linda; it seems _I_ was seeing her, in this reality and, apparently, helping her get her own TV show.”

Lucifer looked blank.

“Doctor Linda Martin?  Your therapist?  Okay, not in _this_ world, I guess.”

“Why would _I_ need a therapist?”

“ _I_ don’t know.  That was between _my_ Lucifer and the doctor.  She was _Delilah’s_ therapist, we went to talk to her, he ended up seeing her professionally.  Oh and they were sleeping together for a while.”

“Oh, well, that’s alright then.”  Lucifer said, sounding relieved.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Detective Espinoza let himself into his apartment, bolting the door behind him before putting on the light.

“Ah, Detective Dildo, home at last.”  Lucifer purred, dangerously.  He was sitting across the room with a glass of scotch in his hand.

Dan drew his gun.

“Do you really want to wake your neighbours, Daniel?  Not to mention making a mess of this revolting carpet, oh and the inconvenience of a corpse in your living room.” 

“No inconvenience, I’ll just have shot an intruder.  After all, you did break into my home.”

“Does your door look broken, to you?”  Lucifer asked.

Dan looked behind him, automatically and when he turned back, Lucifer was standing six inches away from him, looking down into his eyes.

“I’m just going to talk,”  He said, “You can always shoot me after, if you’d like.”

Dan swallowed, his gun hand was shaking.  Lucifer was seriously invading his personal space and creeping him out.  For three years he had dismissed this guy as nothing but an annoying dick with more wealth than he deserved and warped taste in bar staff.  Now, suddenly, he was threatening.  His almost black eyes felt as though they were stripping Dan’s soul…

“There’s a question that I should have asked you, a long time ago.”  Lucifer said, when Dan’s eyes were so focused on his that he couldn’t even blink.  “Most remiss of me to leave it _un_ asked.  Tell me Daniel, what is it that you desire?”

“I…”  Dan’s insides were churning, as if an inverted twister was forming within him, everything that he wanted, spinning and funnelling upwards, desires jostling for position as the one thing he most wanted in the whole of the universe spun to the pointed end of the vortex and was thrown outwards.

“I want never to have met Chloe Decker.”  He whispered.

“Now, tell me _why_.”  Lucifer asked, increasing the pressure of his gift…

***

Chloe woke to the smell of cooking and the realization that she was famished.  Lucifer, always the perfect host, had offered her food, last night but she had been too tired to do anything other than shower, before tumbling into bed in his ‘guest room’.

Guest room.  Ha!  Guest _suite_ , more like; she imagined that it was similar to staying in one of those hotels that cost thousands of dollars a night.  The attached bathroom had had everything she could possibly need: towels and a fluffy bath robe - still in their packaging, a box of toiletries - toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner - all of it top quality, all of it brand new and sealed.  There was even a new set of matching underwear; she blushed when she saw that the bra was a 34B, how could he _possibly_ have known?  They had literally only just met…

Stomach rumbling, she was fast in the bathroom and felt confident enough of him to slip on one of his silk shirts to replace her own bullet-holed top.

He was doing an omelette and the sight and smell of it made her chest ache at the thought of the time he had let himself into her home and cooked for her.  So much had happened between them since then.

“Well, hel-lo, Detective.”  He said, in his usual seductive tone, “I see you found my wardrobe.  Quite right, too; can’t have you doing a walk of shame in front of the vermin of the press, can we?”

“You don’t mind?”

“Not at all, it looks delightful on you, you’ll probably start a trend.”

“It covers my gun and badge, which I shouldn’t actually have in _this_ world.”  she said, sitting at the breakfast table.

Really, the shirt was perfect. It hung almost to her knees and the sleeves had to be rolled but it was incredibly comfortable and, when she’d passed his full length mirror, it had looked as though it was a fashion statement.

“I had a dream,” She said, as he poured the coffee.

“Did you now.”

“Not like _that_.  I was in a place filled with white mist and a voice was asking me what I would wish for, if I could have a wish come true.”

“What was the voice like?”  He asked, putting her plate in front of her.

“Gentle but with power.  Neither male or female and it seemed to be inside my head.”

“And did you _make_ a wish?”

“Not really.  It asked me if there was a wrong I would like righted and I thought about my father’s murder but I didn’t actually _wish_ for anything.”

“And now, you find yourself in a world where your father lived through his shooting.  _Not_ a coincidence.”

“No.”  She looked across at him, there was something unreadable in his eyes that hadn’t been there the night before but, otherwise, he looked a lot like _her_ Lucifer had, back when they had _first_ met.  Beautiful, flirty and annoyingly carefree.  With a jolt she realized that _her_ Lucifer carried permanent _pain_ in his eyes, these days.  It had happened slowly and, to her shame, she hadn’t noticed.  Tears stung the back of her eyes as she realized that, as _this_ reality only differed because of a change in _her_ life, _she_ had, most probably, been the cause.  It seemed that _she_ had taken a dazzling, joyously wild, free spirit and broken him.

A tear splashed into her omelette.  Lucifer was immediately by her side.

“Darling?”  He had seen her flinch when he called her ’Detective’.   “Can I do anything to help?  I was planning on summoning my brother, whilst you’re at the Doctor’s, and finding out if there’s anything _he_ can do.  _Damn_ my father for doing this to you.”

“I think I probably deserve it.”  She said, scrubbing her tears away.

“Nonsense, no one _deserves_ to be one of Dad’s experiments.  I’ll try my best to get it undone, for you.”

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me, Lucifer.”  She said, putting a forkful of omelette into her mouth.

“Sex is always on the table,”  He said, with a smirk,  “or on any other surface that takes your fancy.  Seriously, Darling, never underestimate the restorative power of an orgasm.”

“You know,”  She said, thoughtfully, “For a change I would really like to but I can’t.  It would be disloyal to _my_ Lucifer.  I’ve loved him for so long and although he _says_ he only wants to be friends…”

“He says _that_?  He must be, somehow, unwell.  Tell me about this vulnerability of his.”

“He said that I made him vulnerable and I thought he meant emotionally… Oh.  I _slapped_ him…”

“And?”

“It didn’t feel the same as when I slapped you, last night.”

“How so?”

“Slapping you, hurt _me_.”

“I’m not surprised, you could have broken your hand.”

“Yes but when I slapped _him_ … it felt like slapping a human and he said that it hurt and then asked me to do it again.”

“It would have been a novelty for him.  What else?”

“He died.”  She whispered, her breathing erratic, now, as she remembered.  “He was gut shot, protecting me and Trixie and… he bled out on the floor…”

“Then what happened?”

“I didn’t see him get back up, I was trying to circle back to where the guns were… then he was there, distracting the shooter, giving me time to deal with the bastard…”

“Did he offer any explanation?”

“He said he died and then got better.”

“Well, it looks like dear old Dad has been messing with both of you.  We really _can’t_ have that.”

***

He drove her to Linda’s, in his ‘incognito car’ - a small thing, with tinted windows which the press didn’t even notice as the two of them drove out of the parking garage in it.  While he drove, she tried to get herself into the right mindset to fool Linda into thinking that she had lived her life in _this_ world.  It had been a long time since she had done ‘proper’ acting…  Turned out, it wasn’t so hard.

***

”So, Chloe, what did you want to talk about, so urgently?”  Linda asked.

“I think I need to really _face_ the consequences of what happened to me.”  Chloe said carefully.

“Are you sure that you’re ready?”

“I’ve been thinking about it all night and I really don’t think that I can move on as a person, without resolving this.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”  Chloe nodded,  “I’ll fetch the photographs.”  Linda said, disappearing into another room.

Chloe’s nervousness ramped up, while she waited.  _Photographs?_ Was she about to be shown pictures of her other, younger self being horribly abused by her kidnappers?  How would she stand it?  She’d seen plenty of murder scenes, not to mention horrific trophy pictures but…

“Here we are.”  Linda said, holding out a large photo album, the cover cheerfully decorated with pink flowers.  “Would you rather be alone?”

“I think so, yes.”  she said, numbly, taking the album.  Surely there could be nothing bad in here, not with pink flowers…

Linda left to make coffee and Chloe opened the book.

The photographs had no dates on them, no captions, no information of any kind.  The pictures spoke for themselves.

The tiny squalling baby, newborn, all red faced with a scrap of dark hair, a pink blanket around her… pages of her.. getting older every page.. her features slowly morphing over the years.. into the face that Chloe knew better than her own.  Eyes turned to the camera, smiling at unseen people, smiling at the lens.. at her mother?  At Chloe.

Linda was handing her a bunch of tissues and she hadn’t even known that she was crying.

“Thank you,”  She whispered, not sure if she was thanking Linda for showing her or maybe thanking Lucifer’s father, that Trixie existed here.  Her name probably _wasn’t_ Beatrice, Chloe would probably never meet her, never hold her but, if she was to be trapped in this world for good, at least her baby was here.

“You can keep them, if you want.”  Linda said, gently.

Chloe shook her head.

“She’s a secret.  I don’t want word of her getting out, I don’t want her life to change, I don’t want her hounded.  I just needed to _see_.”

No one could find out; she didn’t want her darling baby girl used as leverage, the way she had been.  She finished her coffee, hands shaking so much that Linda asked if she had driven.  There was relief in the therapist’s eyes when Chloe said that a friend was waiting in the car to drive her back.

She got into the car and fastened her seat belt.  Lucifer looked across at her, taking in her red eyes.

“You must think I cry all the time.”  She said, apologetically.  “I was right about the baby.  The adoption people have been sending photographs to Linda, for me, ever since she was born.  It’s her.  Trixie… Beatrice.  I know who kidnapped her mother.”

“Detective Dildo and a bunch of other corrupt cops.”  Lucifer said, his eyes flashing red.

“Yes.  She’s _our_ Trixie so Dan _had_ to have fathered her, which means that he had to have been one of the men who raped the other Chloe.”

“If it’s any consolation, he feels a crippling amount of guilt over it.  That’s why he looks at you the way he does, he’s disgusted about what he did.”

“So he hates me… _her_ for it.  Linda would say that that was classic displacement.  How did _you_ know, anyway?”

“I paid him a visit, last night.  After what you told me about the way he looked at you, I thought that there was _something_.  Turns out that we were right about it being a warning to your dad.  The orders came directly from the Sinnerman.”

“Stop the car.”

Lucifer hit the brakes and Chloe threw open the door and was violently sick into the road. 

“I’m sorry,”  she gasped, as he handed her a pack of moist clean-up squares which had been in the glove box.  Luckily she had managed not to get vomit on her clothes or the car and she gratefully cleaned up her face and then slumped back into her seat.

“That was an extreme reaction, was there something between you and Cain?”

“Lucifer was making it very clear that _he_ didn’t want me and Lt. Pierce had been really antagonistic to me, when he was first transferred to L.A. and then he started to be _nice_.  We dated.  He proposed.  I said yes.  Then I changed my mind.  I _wanted_ to love someone else.  Loving Lucifer and being rejected hurt _so_ much but I found I couldn’t be in love with Pierce because he wasn’t…”

“Your Lucifer?”

“No, no one else could ever measure up.  I’m _so_ pathetic, I marry Dan the douche, divorce him and then _almost_ marry the world’s first murderer.   And all this time I’m in love with someone honest, kind and just… and he’s an angel.  _Obviously_ he wouldn‘t want me.”

“ _You_ are not looking at this the right way.”  Lucifer said, as they drove back into Lux’s parking garage.  “ _Your_ Espinoza might have been a douche but I’d wager that he never did _anything_ as bad as Detective Dildo has done in _this_ reality.  That can only have been _your_ influence.  In this world, there have been, probably hundreds of botched cases, innocent people convicted, guilty people going free and the worst part?  We don’t even _realize_.  It took _you_ , coming here, looking at the cases that you solved _there,_ to show it up.  All that injustice.”

“Because my dad lived.”

“He didn’t want you to be a cop.  He said it’s too dangerous.  He knows about the Sinnerman organisation but he doesn’t know who can be trusted to help take it down.  He doesn’t want to risk his family.”

“When did you..?”

“I caught up with him after I’d seen Dan, asked him the question…”

“What does he desire?”

“For his family to be safe.  _That’s_ why he doesn’t push.”

“I can’t wish him _dead_.”

“Of course not.”

“So I’m never going back.”

“I talked to Amenadiel.  He said that the longer you’re _here_ , the less you’ll remember of the _other_ reality.  This world will become _real_ to you and you’ll only have memories of here.  Including _her_ ordeal at the hands of those evil, twisted…”

“It’s alright.”  She said, putting her hand over his where he was gripping the steering wheel.  “I’ll make a list of all the guilty ones that I _know_ got away with it _here_.  You and my dad will be able to take care of it.  _You’ll_ remember.”

There was a crack as the steering wheel shattered in his hand.

***

He cooked, while she went over the police records, laboriously making notes on each case, that she and _her_ Lucifer had solved but that _hadn’t_ been solved properly here.

They ate in silence and, when she caught him looking, she realized that he had the beginnings of the same pain in his eyes as _her_ Lucifer.

‘ _I’m doing it again.’_   she thought,  ‘ _Somehow_ , _I’m breaking another one…’_

After lunch, he went to the guest room and retrieved her bullet proof vest, snagging her one of his clean shirts as he passed his wardrobe.

“I’d like to keep the one you have on, if I may.”  He said, handing her the vest and the clean shirt.  She looked at him, puzzled.  “Come on, get a wriggle on,”  He said, lightly.  “You’re going home.”

“I told you, I _can’t_ wish for my dad to be _dead_ …”

“You won’t have to; trust me.”

***

They took the corvette; he wanted, just once, to drive her in it.  When he turned the key the radio came to life:

_“What if God was one of us?”_

Lucifer snarled and hit the button for another station.

_“I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours, but I think that God has a sick sense of humour…”_

Snarl, press button.

_“..Devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal..”_

Snarl, switch radio off.

Chloe giggled and Lucifer laughed with her, as they drove to the place where Cain had set his trap, for them both, in another reality.

There was no one there and the locks yielded to Lucifer’s touch, the way locks always did.

“He had a shootout, _here_?”  Lucifer asked, looking around at all the valuable art, almost certainly stolen, which lined the space.  “He actually _planned_ it?  What a dick.”

Chloe smiled.

“I woke up, over there, on those steps.”  She said.

“That’s where you’ll leave from, then.”  He said,  “But before that, would you do something for me?  Would you slap me again?”

She nodded and complied.  His face felt like any other human’s and he flinched.

“Thank you.  I just needed to know.”

He fished around in his pocket and took out his coin.  It spun lazily over the palm of his hand.

“Let’s get you into position.”

She kissed him.

It was hunger and heat and want and need and _loss_.  He wanted to hold her but he knew that, if he did, he would never, _could_ never let her go.  For once, he had to be the strong one.

They walked to the foot of the steps.

“You’re sure?”  She asked.

“I don’t need it.”  He said, truthfully, “I’m never going back to Hell.” 

Amenadiel had explained it.  _This_ version of reality would only exist while Chloe was in it.  When she used his Pentecostal coin, to cross dimensions, this world and everyone in it would cease. 

“When I put it in your hand, hold it tightly and picture yourself where you need to be.”  She nodded, holding out her hand.  “ _Your_ Lucifer loves you, no matter _what_ he lets you believe.  He’s died for you and he’s killed for you.  Go home to him and make him admit it.”

He put the coin in her hand and backed away, watching as cold fire flared behind her fingers and she…

Stopped.

“ _Why_ , my Morningstar?  Why _this_ bug amongst all the _billions_ of bugs.  _Why_ is _she_ always your undoing?”  The voice echoed in the circular space.

“ _Mum_?”  Lucifer was incredulous.

“What is so _special_ about _her?_ You’ve only known her a _day_ and already you’re giving up your _life_.”

“How did you get out of Hell?”

“Old news and none of _your_ concern.”

“The songs on the radio were _your_ doing?”

“Just to give you a little hint of divine intervention.  Flawed, of course, there are no songs celebrating _me_ , have you noticed?”

“Why would there be?  In your jealous rage you visited _plagues_ on the humans.”  Lucifer said, contempt in his voice.  “You’re saying _now_ that you created _this_ world, for _this_ human, just to inflict all the vile things that have _happened_ to her…”

“ **No**.  I changed _one_ thing.  Drop a stone in the water and the ripples go where they must.”

“Did you intend for _me_ to come into existence?”

“You‘re only an _echo_ of The Lightbringer.”  Now _her_ voice was contemptuous.

“I have the same powers.”

“And, it would seem, the same weakness; she was _created_ to be _his_ downfall - _no_ father should do that to his son.  I should have used The Blade of Death to rid Lucifer of her.”

“You have my sister’s blade?”

“ _You_ have no sister, you are no more real than this world and it will all end with _her_.”

“While she lives, _everything_ here is _real._ I will _not_ allow her to be harmed.”

 “I _intended_ her to stay here with _you_.  Should she stay, I would have no cause to end her.”

“And if I agree?”

“You _dare_ to broker a deal with _me_?”

“Just to ensure your non-interference, nothing more.”

“Agreed.  I will not interfere, I’ll not even observe; I _refuse_ to watch as you surrender your powers to her and _allow_ her to bring about your death.  That was _His_ plan and I want no part of it.”

“Deal, Mother.”

Abruptly, Chloe collapsed to the floor.

“Your miracle will sleep now and when she wakes it will be as if she had always been here.”

Feeling that his mother’s presence had gone, Lucifer ran to Chloe.  As soon as he was satisfied that she was unharmed, he picked her up and carried her out to the car.


	3. Chapter 3

 

The next few days were, predictably, awful; Chloe had woken up with no memory of her other existence and, worse still, didn’t remember _why_ she was at Lucifer’s.  Luckily there was enough CCTV footage and internet videos to prove Lucifer’s side of the story.  She had woken up in his guest suite and her gut had told her to trust him when he said that nothing had ‘happened’ between them.  She had thanked him for taking care of her, since someone had _obviously_ spiked her drink.

Then she had left.

Lucifer had been bereft. 

_(‘She will bring about your death.‘)_

He missed the feel of her dazzling soul and her selfless integrity that had lit up his penthouse for the time she had been there. 

 _(‘ **No**_ _father should do that to his son_.’)

After he had got back from his Chicago trip - there was at least _one_ thing he could do for _her_ and humanity - he had fallen into an uneasy routine. 

_(‘ **You‘re** only an **echo** of The Lightbringer.’)_

He spent his nights alone now, his face pressed into the shirt she had worn.  Was this how it would _be_?  Just _this_ until one day she died and he and the rest of this world, winked out of existence?

 _(‘While **she** lives_ , **_everything_** _here is **real.’)**_

Then, one morning, a dead man, down in the club, on one of the banquettes…

***

After he and Chloe had solved the murder of Stryder Novac, Lucifer went back to his penthouse to find his wall safe had been emptied.  Again.

“Maze, I need another lawyer.”

“Well, if you will keep _testing_ them…”

“There _must_ be such a thing as an _honest_ lawyer, surely?”

“Don’t think so.  Do you want the _good_ news?”

“Oooh, that would make a change.”

“She took Detective Dildo _with_ her.”

“ _Did_ she now.  I do hope that that act of self-sacrifice doesn’t keep her _out_ of Hell, when the time comes.”

“Oh I hope not.”  Maze said, licking her lips, “I told her to make sure neither of them ever set foot in this country again, so _he’s_ out of your hair, for good.”

“Perfect.  How’s your new pet doing?”

Maze made an almost orgasmic sound.

“You give the very _best_ gifts, My Lord.”  She said, with the kind of respect she used to give him in Hell.  “I stripped his skin off, yesterday and then _salted_ him like a _ham_.  It’s like being back home, I can _torture_ him, even _kill_ him and then,”  She shivered with pleasure, “I get to do it all over again.”

“So long as he never gets loose…”

“Do I _look_ stupid?”

“Of course not.”  He smiled at her.  “That actress might be around, now and then.”  Lucifer said, trying to sound casual.  “Don’t scare her, alright?”

“Little miss ‘divergent reality’?”

“Yes.  She’s a part of _this_ world, now.  She doesn’t remember the other one.”

“She won’t be dissing me again?”

“I don’t think that she remembers ‘dissing’ you, before.”

“You’re not going soft, are you?”

“Careful Mazikeen.”  He growled.

“Okay, just because your dad fucked with her life, you want me to play nice… I can do that.  The fight scenes in her movies are really quite hot…”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Too vanilla for _me,_ anyhow.”

***

“So, I’ve looked into it and I need 6000 hours of paid investigative work, over three years.”  Chloe said, smiling at Lucifer as he carried the food to the table.

“Well _I_ can pay you for catching Stryder Novac’s killer, if you like.”

“No, you can’t.”  She laughed.

“Oh, I _can_.  It was bad for business, people thinking he died in a bar fight, in _my_ club; lowering the tone.  The whole ‘bar fight’ thing, not your unfortunate colleague.  I’d be _happy_ to pay you.”

“ _No_ because you’re not on this _list_.”  She showed him the printout of people who could employ her.  He glanced at it.

“Licensed PI.  That’ll do.  I know one who owes me a favour, _she’ll_ employ you.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes.  No problem.”

“And will _I_ owe you a favour, _then_?”  She looked into his eyes as he dug his chopsticks into his takeaway.

“No, Darling, we’re _friends_.  Friends do favours for each other for nothing.  I read it somewhere.”

“We _are_ friends, aren’t we?”

“I should _hope_ so; sitting in your kitchen eating Chinese food out of cardboard is hardly a _formal_ occasion, we _must_ be friends.”  He said, flippantly.

“I trust you, Lucifer.”  She said, softly.  “Do you know how long it’s been since I trusted anyone?  Outside of family, that is.”

“I can imagine and I can’t begin to tell you how privileged that makes me feel.”  He sounded deadly serious, no hint of his usual playfulness.

“Linda told me that you drove me to her place when…”

“Was it wrong of me?  You were fairly insistent…”

“No.  You were _so_ kind to me, you didn’t even _know_ me back then…”

“I’m very seldom wrong about people, Chloe.  You impressed me with your strength and integrity and I’m proud to be your friend.”

“Would it.. if I maybe… would it be spoiled if…?”  She couldn’t look at him, terrified of rejection.  He reached across the table and covered her hand with his.

“You are the most important person in this world.”  He said, truthfully,  “ _Nothing_ will change how I feel about you.  Were you considering taking our friendship further?”

She bit her bottom lip in the way that inflamed him so and nodded.

“The thing is, I .. well after… I’ve never…”

“After what happened?  Completely understandable.  What about before?”

“Not really… there’s so much exploitation in the industry and after ’Hot Tub’ men made assumptions and so I never…”

Lucifer’s eyes flashed red at the thought that her _only_ experience of sex was the brutal ordeal she had gone through.

“Slowly then.  Entirely at _your_ pace.”

“Can you stay, tonight?  I thought maybe we could sleep… er.. just sleep… together?  Would that be alright?”

“So, food, maybe some cuddling on the sofa while we watch a movie and then…”

“Same bed, keep our underwear on?”

“ _Darling_ , before we’ve even _kissed_?”  His mock outrage was so perfect that Chloe started to laugh.

“Maybe kissing could happen on the sofa.”  She laughed.

***

They snuggled together, sharing a tub of mint chocolate chip ice-cream, watching the movie, in companionable silence.  Lucifer’s mind was racing.

What if he got this _wrong_?  She wasn’t the _first_ abuse survivor that he’d helped but she _was_ the only one that he’d been in love with.  He knew he was right about it, that _was_ what he was feeling.  He had known, _months_ ago, when they’d _first_ met, that his _other_ self was in love with her and she with him.  He _himself_ had felt enough for _her_ to end his own existence, just to send her back.  Since then, he hadn’t touched another person, sexually - it hadn’t felt _right_ \- and his only outlet had been ‘Hot Tub High School’ and a box of tissues.

Now, here they were.  _She_ was going to become a private investigator - her father had managed to talk her out of a career in the police - and, since they’d attended the premiere of ’Weaponizer 5’ together, the gossip sites and magazines were full of the two of them.  She had ‘tamed’ the playboy billionaire, according to the lurid headlines and only the two of _them_ knew that their relationship was, so far, nonsexual.

He had even been to dinner with her parents.  After, her father had taken him aside and they’d talked.  John Decker had still been smarting over the ‘what is it that you desire?’ incident and had made the usual threats about not hurting his little girl.  Lucifer had concurred that hurting Chloe would be a very bad thing that he would _never_ do and then he had provided Lt. John Decker with a stack of paperwork that proved various miscarriages of justice within his precinct.  Relations were still frosty.

Penelope, on the other hand, adored him and considered him to be the best thing that had ever happened to her daughter.  Chloe had smiled gratefully at him when she had realized that he _hadn’t_ been bluffing, when he had claimed to be a fan of her mother’s work; he was more than capable _and_ happy to talk about her movies’ plot twists and special effects.

Lucifer was enjoying this new version of his life.

_(‘Surrender your powers and **allow** her to bring about your death.’)_

_That’s_ what his mother had said and, when he had asked Chloe to slap him, it _had_ felt different, as though he was mortal.  His mother’s _wording_ , though; **allow** , as though it was, somehow, _his_ choice. 

Free will. 

He _chose_ to live.  He _chose_ to love her and he chose _not_ to be vulnerable.  He _chose_ to be Lucifer Morningstar.

The credits were rolling, the ice-cream finished and Chloe practically on his lap.  He put his arms around her as she kissed him.

Her tongue was cold from the ice-cream and tasted faintly of mint as she tentatively slipped it between his lips.  He welcomed it into his heat and put as much passion into the kiss as he could, while still leaving _her_ in control.

“Wow.”  She said, as they broke for air.

“Wow, indeed.”  He agreed with her, shifting slightly, to accommodate his sudden hardness.  Chloe’s eyes widened as she felt it against her leg. 

“It’s alright, Darling, just because it’s there, doesn’t mean I have to _use_ it.”  He was quick to reassure her.

“If we sleep together, are you going to be uncomfortable all night?”

“After what you’ve been through, there’s a possibility that _you_ will never be comfortable with penetrative sex, particularly as I’m…”

“Large?”

“Mmm.  Rest assured _I_ can take care of any discomfort that I might feel.  I promise you that I will _never_ feel any form of resentment towards you because of that.”

He had run into this phenomena before, the occasional lover who felt that _he_ should be dissatisfied or even _angry_ , if he only concentrated on _their_ pleasure.

“You sound like you should be drawing up a contract…”  She kissed him again.  “..A Devil’s pact..?  Let’s just go upstairs and see what happens.”

***

She was wearing a red silk bra and panty set and the sight of her had him straining his boxers again.  They lay down, facing each other and she kissed him some more, gently smoothing her hands over his bare chest.

He could smell her arousal and feel her hard, silk covered nipples pressing against his chest but he had no desire to push her.

“They kept me handcuffed in total darkness.”  She said, when she came up for air.  “And they never spoke to me.”

“So, lights on and I’ll talk.  _Obviously_ no restraint of any kind.  I won’t try to surprise you with anything.  Will it just be holding, tonight or..?”

“That’s the _thing_ , I just don’t know what I _want_.”

“But you know that you want _something_?”

“ _So_ badly.”

“I can work with that.  What if I don’t use my hands?  What if I just kiss you and you tell me the instant I do something you don’t like.”

“Yes.”

She lay back and he kissed her, starting with her mouth and then trailing down to capture a nipple, through the silk.  She gasped at the sensation, pushing towards his mouth as if he could take the whole breast.  He pulled back, with a smirk.

“Good?”  He asked and gently blew on the damp fabric of her bra.

“Don’t _stop_.”  She moaned, trying to squirm back to his mouth.

He leaned across and captured the other nipple, eliciting a needy whine.  He used his hands, on the mattress either side of her, to hold himself up so that his mouth was the only point of contact.

Leaving her bra a sodden mess, he trailed his hot mouth down her writhing body to the already damp scrap of silk between her legs.

She parted her thighs for him and he began to kiss and lick, hurtling her into a shattering orgasm.  He continued to suck, all heat and nerve endings and flicking tongue, until she was utterly spent.  Boneless beneath him.

He lay on his back beside her.

“Was that acceptable?”

She laughed, feebly.

”That was… I don’t have the words…”

“Good though?”  He pressed.

“Oh, _yes_.  _Stupendous_ even.  Would it be alright if I.. touched _you_?”

“Anything that you want.  When it comes to my body, I deny you nothing.”

She turned onto her side and slid her leg over his, then gently ran her finger nails the length of his shaft, with only the fabric of his boxers between her nail tips and his skin.  He shivered.  She pressed the cloth down, feeling the shape and size and wondering how it would feel, inside her.

Not like before, she was certain.  She wouldn’t be beaten and terrified, sure that every breath she took was to be her last.  She wouldn’t be handcuffed and gagged and helpless.  He wasn’t a stranger.

He was Lucifer.  Kind, gentle and understanding.  She made a decision.

She pulled the waistband of his shorts down, setting his erection free.

“Chloe?”

“I want you inside me.”  She said, shimmying out of her panties.

“We’ll start small,”  He said, not wanting to accidentally hurt her,  “My tongue first, then maybe a finger… or two?”

She nodded and he knelt between her legs, gently teasing her soft folds open with the tip of his tongue.  Even his tongue was hot, she realized, as he slipped it in, deeper than she had ever supposed a tongue could go.  He flicked it deep inside her and her internal walls contracted.

She came almost instantly.  He replaced his tongue with a finger, firmly massaging her G-spot, drawing out the orgasm until she was whimpering his name.  He saw her gently back to Earth, kissing his way up her body and capturing her mouth again.

“I love you.”  She murmured, when they broke for air.

“Darling?”  His eyes were wide.

“I _do_.  You don’t have to love _me_ ; this is _more_ than enough.”

“Oh, Chloe, of _course_ I love _you_.  What did you think all _this_ was about?”

He sat up, pulling her into his lap and holding her, gently around the waist.

“Still up for it?”  She asked, looking down at how ‘up’ he was.

“If _you_ are.  From this position, you’ll control how deep I go.  I don’t know how long I’ll last but I have a very quick recovery time, so not to worry.”

She took him in her hand and he almost lost it.  He bit down on his bottom lip, tasting blood but using the pain to take the edge off.

She sank down, engulfing him in heat and carefully rocked in his arms, feeling the subtle friction deep inside her.

“Cum for me, my love.”  He whispered, rolling his hips in time with her movement.

She kissed him, hard, tasting his blood as she sucked his lower lip into her mouth.  She ground down, hard, her internal muscle spasms clenching him, his entire length buried inside her, pain and fear the last things on her mind, as their orgasms hit almost simultaneously.

 _She_ opened her eyes first.  _His_ head was on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her and he was moaning quietly.  His wings were cocooning the two of them.

“You’re an _Angel_.”  She said, awestruck.

“No, Darling,”  He groaned,  “I’m The Devil.”

***

They were breaking ground on Lux: Las Vegas, under the watchful eyes of Lucifer Morningstar and former action film actress, turned private investigator, Chloe Decker-Morningstar.  Chloe was smiling happily, as she symbolically turned over the first spade-full, before backing off and letting the heavy machinery move in…


	4. When Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the 'real' world, Lucifer searches for his missing Detective...

 

 

 

“It’s all true.”  Chloe said, staring at him from where she was standing at the foot of the steps.

“Detective?”  He glanced down at his hand and realized in horror that his Devil form was back.  He looked back to her and she was.. not there.

Figuring that she had, quite reasonably, run from him, he wondered if he should try to follow, talk to her… no, not a good idea, he must respect her decision to run - he had expected it, after all - he wouldn’t seek her out, at least not until his usual appearance was restored.

He bent down and pulled Maze’s knife from Cain’s body, half expecting him to get up again.  It became obvious that _that_ would never happen when, like a cheap movie effect, the corpse crumbled to dust.

He stared at the knife in his scarred hand, wondering how _Cain_ had got it; it made no sense for Maze to assist in the murder of the only person on Earth who could take her back to Hell.

Had Cain _killed_ Maze?  He wondered if, after all that had happened between them recently, he should care.

Suddenly furious, he kicked Cain’s remains, hard and got foul grey dust all over his shoes for his trouble.  Something dripped into the dust, as he inspected the damage, making tiny reddish puddles from the grey and he realized that he was crying.

Cain had done this to him.  _He_ had talked guilt into _him_ as he was dying - made sure he went to the right place - but what _Cain_ had said… accusing him of being no less of a monster… and, of course, he has always believed it of himself.  Lucifer Morningstar: Monster and now his Devil form is back, maybe for good?

He needs to get out of here, before someone else sees.

He rolls his shoulders - no wings - of course; Amenadiel was right, not going to tell him so, smug git.  He looks around the room for something which could help and sees… Cain’s crash helmet.  Perfect.

With the visor down no one can see his face and, when he finds the bike, it starts for him the same way as his car, the same way locks open. 

He rides.

***

He strides into Linda’s office without knocking, without caring if she has someone ‘in’ and, of course, comes face-to-crash-helmet-visor with an over protective demon.

She has him pinned to the wall before she recognises the suit and lets him down.

“Good to see you, too.”  He says, dryly, taking off the helmet.  Linda gasps.

“What happened to _you_?”  Maze asks.  He looks her over.

“Cain.  You?”

“Same.  Then twelve of his men.  He dead?”

“Yes.”

“For real, this time?”

“Crumbled to dust.”

“Damn.  He told me that if he dies, he has someone in place to kill Linda.  Maybe, for people who matter to _you_ and Decker, as well.  He didn’t say.”

“The Detective saw… this..”  He gestured at his face,  “She ran.  I don’t know where.”

“Lucifer, why can’t you change back?”  Linda asked, handing him a large scotch.

“Because I’m a monster.”  He sounded so defeated, as he slumped down on her couch.  “My wings are gone, too.”

“I’m going to check the perimeter, you can stay here and talk about your _feelings_.”  Maze said, heading to the door. 

“You might want this.”  Lucifer said, handing her her knife.

“Where’d _you_ find it?”

“Pulled it out of Cain, where _I_ stuck it, after _he_ tried to kill _me_ with it.”

She peers at the slash on the sleeve of his jacket.

“Better get _that_ seen to.”  She says.  Then she leaves.

Lucifer shrugs off his jacket, unbuttons his blood stained shirt and takes that off too.

“Doctor?”  Lucifer says, expectantly.

“ _Still_ not that kind of Doctor.”  Linda says, taking a first aid kit out of the drawer.

It’s hard for her to concentrate on the wound, with the rest of him a mass of shiny red scar tissue.

“Why is your other form back, _now_?”  She asked, as she started to clean the blood covered slash.

“I killed Cain and made _sure_ he went to Hell.  I’m a monster.”

“In what way?  Was Cain - first murderer, criminal mastermind and all round evil-doer - _ever_ destined to go to Heaven?”

“When you put it like that, probably not.”

“Then _why_ would sending _him_ to Hell make _you_ a monster?”

“I _killed_ him.  I’m not supposed to kill humans.”

“Not even in self defence?  Who says?”

“My father.  This is _his_ punishment for me because he loves the humans.”

“Forgive me for bringing this up but He didn’t punish you when you killed Uriel, did He not love _him_ as well?”

“I…”

“Cain had lived all this _time_ and had spent it _all_ doing evil and feeling _no_ guilt.  Are you trying to tell me that _your_ father loves someone like _Cain_ more than he loves his own _sons_?  Do _you_ feel more remorse for killing Cain than for your own brother?”

“Put like that…”

“Alright then.  Make Mr. Crispy go away, now: so I can see to this wound properly.”  She might have been asking a child to put his favourite toy away.

Lucifer sighed and relaxed.  His usual appearance restored itself.

“Will this heal better, left open or should I stitch it?”

“Got a sewing kit, have you?”  Lucifer said, smiling as they remembered when Maze had had the same dilemma.

***

Lucifer’s phone had a bullet imbedded in it, so no one could phone him and, since he was giving Chloe ‘space’ to deal with what she had seen, it was a couple of days before he and Dan compared notes and discovered that Chloe was _missing_.

“She was upset when she saw me standing over Pierce’s body.  She left.”  Lucifer told Dan.  The truth, _always;_ just not always the _whole_ truth.

“ _I_ thought she was with _you_ , her phone _and_ yours just go to voice mail, I thought that you were _together_.”  Dan was getting worried, now.

“My phone was damaged, I don‘t know about hers.  Could she have gone away, to be alone..?”

“Without telling _Trixie_?  She’d _never_ scare her like that.  You know how freaked Trixie gets since the poisoning.  What if one of Pierce‘s people has her?”

“I’ll get Maze on it, she’s the best tracker.  We’ll _find_ her.”

***

Maze couldn’t track Chloe.  Every technique at her deposal led back to the place where Lucifer had seen his detective last; at the foot of the steps, staring in horror as he stood up from killing Cain.

He questioned Cain’s men - sweet talking his way into the prisons, on occasion - none of them knew anything.  He willed his wings back into existence and flew in a spiral from Chloe’s ‘point of departure’ with a viciously sharp piece of broken glass clutched in his hand.  No tell tale blood indicated that she was near.

It took him three months to cover the entire planet.  She was no longer alive _or_ no longer on Earth.

He called Amenadiel.

Once he had established that she _wasn’t_ in The Silver City, he went to the last place he would _ever_ expect to find her.

Hell.

Of course she wasn’t there.

He talked to Cain and when it became clear that _he_ knew nothing, Lucifer made him scream for a few days.  Then he went to look up other people who had _dared_ to wrong his Chloe.

And _that’s_ when it got weird.

There were _two_ Malcolm Grahams.

The first of them was the one that Lucifer _knew_ , his ‘death by Chloe’ in the aircraft hanger, haunting him still.  Then, like a duplicate file in a hard-drive, a second cell where a second Malcolm Graham relived dying in a drug bust, his throat slashed with a machete.

The two Jason Carlisles had the same punishment as each other but only _one_ of them had crossed paths with Chloe Decker: Detective.  The other one only knew of Chloe Decker: Actress.  As he was leaving the second Carlisle cell, Lucifer caught the scent of someone who shouldn’t be here at all. 

 _Carver Cruz wasn’t dead_.

Fascinated now, Lucifer popped in to visit the former ‘player’ and found a pitiful, broken, shell of a man, crying with guilt over his beloved Lindsay.  The same Lindsay who had taken her ‘ransom’ money from him and then executed him with a shot to the back of the head.

There was only one way that _this_ could have happened, these people had come from an alternate reality.  A reality where Chloe ( _his_ Chloe?) had stayed in acting.

Carefully following the scent trail from Cruz, back to the world that the unfortunate soul had come from, Lucifer emerged onto the beach that had seen so many landmark events during his _own_ time on Earth.

Everything _looked_ the same but an hour spent in an internet café, told a different story.  To begin with, _this_ world was four years ahead of the _real_ one.  After the jolt he had had just from looking at the _date_ , he Googled Chloe and there it was: her _whole_ life.

Near as he could figure it, once his rage subsided enough so he could think, _his_ Chloe had come here - transported by _his_ Dad? - to a reality where _her_ father hadn’t died.  This had had a ripple effect where _she_ had lived a different life and all the crimes the two of _them_ had solved had, mostly, _not_ been.  Four years ago, Chloe’s life had changed again.  She had met and married notorious playboy Lucifer Morningstar.  Then, she had quit acting, become a qualified P.I. and moved to Las Vegas, where the two of them solved crimes, like some updated version of ‘Hart To Hart’; based at Lux: Las Vegas.

***

From the air, it looked just like the one in L.A. and he landed quietly on the balcony.

Chloe and _her_ Lucifer were in each other’s arms, in bed, naked save for Lucifer’s wings, wrapped around the two of them.  Chloe looked so beautiful, younger than he remembered, certainly not four years _older_.  Was her new life less stressful?  Was she happier without him?  Had she had ‘work’ done?

“Detective?”  He said, quietly, his voice full of pain.

“Mmm?”  She opened her eyes, saw him and gave a little shriek.

The Lucifer on the bed reacted instantly, leaping up and shielding her with his wings.

“ _Michael?”_ He asked, peering at Lucifer with bleary, sleep filled eyes.

“No.  _Lucifer_.”  He replied, coldly.  Comprehension dawned in his other self’s eyes. 

“ _We_ need to talk.”  He said, struggling into the silk boxers he had retrieved from the floor.  He had one leg safely in and the other half way when he was swept up, dragged to the balcony and flown out across the desert.

He landed in the hot sand, still wrestling with his shorts.

The fight started as soon as the other Lucifer had removed his jacket.  They fought with fists and wings but were, of course, equally matched, both anticipating the other’s next move.  It was going to take a while…

“You two boys fixin' to kill each other over that miracle?”  A voice came from behind them.

“Who’s he?”  Naked Lucifer asked, spitting sand out of his mouth.

“Earl Johnson.  Otherwise known as Dad.”  The other Lucifer said, rolling his eyes.

“That’s right.  For real, this time.”  He eyed them both.  The naked one was covered in wing cuts and sand, the other was wearing a collection of expensive rags.  Both were bleeding.  He addressed the clothed one first.

“You pull _him_ from the arms of his wife, drag him out here to fight, you don’t let him get _dressed_ first?  Thought I raised you better, Samael.”

“Thin ice, Dad.”  Lucifer said, angrily.  “The Detective’s _mine_ , you made her for _me_.”

“You _rejected_ her, son.  You _hurt_ her.  If I _had_ made her for you, I might have thought _you_ a tad ungrateful.”

“You created another world and moved her here; gave her to _him_ because I was _ungrateful_?”

“I _could_ have but I didn’t.  This was your mother’s doin'.”

“I’ve been trying to _tell_ him that.”

Johnson addressed him, next.

“Even though you’re not _really_ my son, you’ve made the right choices in your life; I’m proud of you, Lucifer.  You _deserve_ your happiness.”

“How come _he_ gets to be Lucifer?”

“Because, _Samael_ , he’s only existed for the last four years, so he’s only _ever_ been Lucifer.”  He looked at the two of them.  “Now, questions.  One at a time, please.  Samael?”

“If you didn’t make The Detective for me, why _did_ you make her?”

“So her _daughter_ would exist.  Lucifer?”

“Mum said you made _her_ to destroy _him,”_  He nodded at his double,  “If you didn’t, why is _he_ vulnerable around her and why don’t our gifts work on her?”

“From what I’ve seen, _your_ ‘gifts’ work just fine on her but the truth is, her soul is pure, she has _no_ ‘dark desires’.  As for the vulnerability, she makes _you_ vulnerable, too.”

“Yes but _only_ to her.  _He_ lets _other_ people hurt him when she’s ‘in range’.”  He made air quotes.

“I think that recent events might have _changed_ that, eh, Son.  You saw what _belief_ did to Cain.”

“Yes.  It all comes down to will and belief.  I don’t _regret_ killing him.”  Lucifer said, defiantly.

“Nor _should_ you, Samael.  The mark was stop _humans_ from killin' him but _he_ believed he was immortal.  He had a long time to repent his crime, he _never_ learned his lesson, he caused no end of misery.”  He smiled.  “I like what you did for your mother but you shouldn‘t have let her keep the blade.”

“No.  Mother threatened to use it on Chloe if I sent her back to you.”

“Ah, Lucifer; you were willin' to _die_ to send her back to her own world and she never knew it.”

“Don’t let her find out.  She doesn‘t remember that we attempted it.  She doesn‘t remember _her_ world at all, now.”

“Willing to die?”  Lucifer asked, nervously fiddling with his cufflinks.

“Of course.  _This_ world only _exists_ because of Chloe; if she dies, or leaves, it will end.”  His father said.

“Then I can’t take her home.”  A tear rolled down his face.  “I promised Dan, I promised Beatrice.”  He whispered.  “I promised that I’d find her for them.  What do I _tell_ them?”

“The truth, Son; like you _always_ do.”

“Dan won’t believe or understand.  Beatrice will _believe_ but she’ll be _so_ unhappy.”

“You love the child, Samael?”

“Like she was my _own_ spawn.”

“ _And_ Chloe Decker?”

“As though she’s a missing piece of me that I never knew was lost.”  Lucifer said, he could see his double nodding his agreement.

“I never foresaw this variable but, to be fair, I left _your_ universe a while ago, now.”  He saw their twin looks of surprise.  “Your half-brother’s been doing his best to run things for the last thirty years.  Creatin' humanity was probably a mistake, I see that, now.  I made a _new_ Eden for myself, with just animals.  _They_ kill each other, sure but not for fun… apart from cats, of course but even _they_ don’t think up new ways of doin' it.”

“How did you know..?”

“About _this_ situation?  Oh, I keep an eye on things, now and then.  It’s good that you left Hell, Samael.  I’m sorry about your brother but he couldn’t be allowed to end your mother and my miracle and if he’d lived, he would have found a way.  Now, shake the sand out of your wings and let's go back to _your_ penthouse, Lucifer, for a drink.  We’ll see if we can’t work this out.”

***

Chloe was dressed and pacing the floor, wondering what she should do.  She couldn’t go look for Lucifer, he could be anywhere.  The best thing was to stay put but it was so _hard_ doing _nothing_.

Then, abruptly, they were just _there_.  She threw herself into her husband’s arms.

“You boys go wash up and put some clothes on.  I need to talk to the lady of the house.” Johnson said, waving the two versions of Lucifer in the direction of the bathroom.

“And you are?”  Chloe asked, coldly.

“I’m Lucifer’s father.”

The sound of the slap resonated around the penthouse.

***

Showering is a lot quicker if you have someone to wash your wings for you but takes _longer_ if you start to enjoy yourselves…  Twenty minutes later, two impeccably dressed Lucifers returned to the main living area to find Chloe and their father drinking tea, together.

“Boys, I think I have a way that you can _both_ have what you need.  I’ve talked it over with Chloe and she’s happy to let me try.”

“You going to conjure another Chloe out of nothing?”  One of the Lucifers asked.

“No Samael, I’m goin' to conjure her out of _this_ one.”

“How do you know which of us is which?”

“That’s easy, _you_ have more pain in your eyes.”

“Will it hurt her?”  The other Lucifer asked.

“I don’t believe so, no.  If you would like to stand over there where there’s more space..”

He positioned them either side of Chloe and had them each take one of her hands.

“Now, Lucifer, since this is _your_ world, you hold on to her but don’t pull.  It’s important, just keep her in one place.”  Lucifer nodded.

“Samael, you pull her hand towards you, when I say and _mean_ it.  Chloe, just relax, like I told you.”

He put both his hands, palms down, on top of her head.  Chloe closed her eyes…

“Now.”

There was a sickening ripping sound as one Lucifer pulled and one held tight.  Chloe gave a cry that suddenly seemed to be two voices instead of one.

Both Lucifers now had a Chloe.  Like a single cell dividing, one Chloe had become two, identical right down to their clothes.  The ‘new’ one looked blankly into _her_ Lucifer’s eyes, then collapsed into his arms.

“It’s alright, Samael.  Her brain just needs to.. what do they call it… reboot?  She‘ll be fine in a few days.  Wrap your wings around her and I‘ll send you home.”

Lucifer complied.  There was a rushing sound and he and Chloe were alone in the penthouse.  He carried her to his bed and lay her down.  The view outside the window was the familiar L.A. skyline.  They were home.

***

Lucifer knew it been a mistake to promise to text Dan as soon as he had news.  Dan was pacing in the living area of the penthouse but at least he hadn’t brought Beatrice with him.

“She won’t want you to see her, like this.”  Lucifer said, trying to stay calm.

“If there’s something wrong with her, she should be in a hospital.”  Dan countered.

“There’s nothing _they_ can do, she just needs rest.”

“Why’s she got to rest _here_?”

“We got back _late_ last night.  It made sense.”

“I can’t sleep.  It’s too noisy.”  Chloe said, coming out of the bedroom wearing an oversized T-shirt.  She froze when she saw Dan.

“Did you take advantage of her?”  Dan demanded, accusingly.

“He’s my _husband_ , Espinoza.”  Chloe said, coldly, “He’s entitled.”

“I just watched her sleep, to make sure she was alright.”  Lucifer said, reassuringly.

“Husband?”

“We got married nearly _four_ years ago, if it’s any of _your_ business.  What are you _here_ for anyway?  You work with my dad in L.A.”

“Where do you think you are, _now_?”  Dan asked her, shocked.

“Las Vegas,”  She looked around the penthouse, “ _Aren’t_ we?  Why did you have to build the new one so it looks the same as the other one?”  She asked Lucifer.  “It’s confusing.”

“You go back to bed, Detective.  I’ll bring you breakfast.”

“Don’t you want to ask about Trixie?”  Dan blurted and Chloe went white.

“Who told you?”  She asked, as Lucifer gathered her up in his arms.  “She’s meant to be a _secret_.  No one can find out or they might hurt her.”

“It’s alright,”  He murmured into her ear as he carried her back to bed.  “No one will hurt her.  I’ll always protect you both.”

“I love you, Lucifer.”  She said, as he tucked her in.

“I love you too.”  He kissed her forehead.  “Sleep now, I’ll finish up with Detective Espinoza and then cook you some breakfast.”

***

“Please tell me that the people who did this to her have been dealt with.”  Dan said, once they were in the kitchen and out of earshot.

“I can guarantee that the ones responsible will never do this to anyone else.”  Lucifer said, truthfully.

“Do I want to know?”

“I doubt it.  I found her in Las Vegas, she believes she’s been gone for four years and living in a replica of Lux.  She seems to be worried that Beatrice is somehow a target.  Oh and I certainly haven’t married her, _or_ slept with her.”

“Is this, somehow, her way of _coping_?  Did they _torture_ her?”

“Not physically.  She’s completely uninjured.  I’m assured, by an expert in these matters, that she’ll be back in touch with reality in a few days.  Doctor Linda‘s stopping by later.  I‘ll let you know when Beatrice can see her.”

“Thanks, man.  I‘m so glad she didn‘t see that.”  Dan gave Lucifer an awkward hug and left.

 

***

“How much do you remember?”  Linda asked.

“Cain was dead and I saw Lucifer's Devil face.”  Chloe replied.

“Were you afraid?”

“Not of _Lucifer_.  The rest of it, though… Heaven, Hell… God, to know that it’s all _true_?  _That’s_ frightening.”

“Do you remember what happened next?”  Linda asked, gently.

“Somehow I lost four months of my life and actually thought that it was four _years_.  It was like a really good _dream_.  I was married to Lucifer and we solved crimes together and my dad was still alive.  We lived in Las Vegas, which is where Lucifer found me and brought me back here.”

“You don’t remember how you got to Las Vegas?”

“No.  I don’t remember coming back, either.  I don’t remember what _really_ happened to me.”

“You have to face the fact that you might not ever remember.”

“I know. It’s been a week, though and I’ve accepted that none of it was real, how long before Lucifer _believes_ me, do you think?”

“Believes you about what?”

“Believes that I actually _love_ him and it’s not some drug induced _dream_.  We’re alone here and I want to make love to him _so_ badly and he doesn’t want to take _advantage_.”

“I’ll have a word with him, convince him that you’re back to normal.  Which you _are_ , in case there was any doubt in your mind.”  Linda said, with a smile.

 

 

 


	5. Epilogue

 

 

Most people respected the dress code.  The doormen were fairly flexible, though, knowing, as they did, that the Boss-man sometimes met with people that were _not_ there for the clubbing.

The man seated at the bar was dressed casual that was _just_ the right side of scruffy.  He passed a hundred dollar bill to the barman.

“Keep the change, buy your daughter somethin’ pretty.”  The man said, in his soft southern accent.  The barman thanked him, wondering, firstly, if he was a Texas oil billionaire and, secondly, how the man knew that _he_ had a daughter.

The man sipped his drink, then nodded towards the piano.

“He playin’ tonight?”

“Hard to say, sometimes he’s not in the mood but when he is…”

The man nodded in agreement.

“You know him?”  The barman asked,  “Like, _personally_?”

“Not as well as I should.”  The man said, his voice tinged with regret.

Turned out, He _was_ in the mood - for the piano - but _not_ for any of the attractive bodies that were offered to him before, during and _after_ his performance.

He sat down at the bar, got his drink and finally turned to the man.

“That happen a lot?”  The man asked, before he had had a chance to speak.  “All those people wantin’ you?”

“It’s not like I can switch it off.”

“You don’t take any of them up on it any more, though?”

“How can I?  I’m in love with The Detective.”  He lowered his voice to a whisper.

“You wanna take this talk upstairs?”

“I can’t, _she’s_ upstairs, having a session with my therapist.  It’s ‘private’.”  He made air quotes.

“Doctor Linda Martin, I remember her from the hospital.  Beautiful soul.”

“That was really _you_?”

“An aspect of me.  _He_ healed a woman, who would have died, how could I _not_ have been there for _that_?”

“Did you want something in particular from me?”

“A drink, hear you play, a chat…”

“What about?”

“Your detective.  I thought that now you _know_ she wasn’t some kind of _trap_ , that the two of you…”

“I can’t.  She doesn’t love _me_ she loves _him_.  The _other_ Lucifer.”

“Her memory didn’t come back?”

“Yes, it came back.  You know I really envy _him_ ; the _other_ Lucifer.”

“In what way?”

“When she… _his_ Detective… dies, he’ll just.. _end_.  That whole world will just… never have existed.  No Heaven, no Hell just… _nothing_.”

“Are you saying you can’t be with Chloe, _now_ because she’ll leave you when she _dies_?”

“That and the whole not really loving me; I mentioned that, yes?”

“You know, that _other_ Lucifer, was a virgin the first time he and _his_ Chloe made love.  Oh, he had your _memories_ of sex, so he knew what he was _doin’_ but it was his _first_ time…”

“Then I envy him _that_ , too.”

“I don’t think he’s ever realized.  The _power_ of that first _joinin’_ \- it was _her_ first time _willin’ly -_ caused his wings to grow back.  Do you know how much healin’ power somethin’ like that _takes_?”

“Nope.”  Lucifer said, popping the ‘p’ and implying that he didn’t give a damn.

“More than he could handle on his own.  Fair amount of it spilled into her.  Now, what do you suppose _that_ did?”

Lucifer started to say he neither knew nor cared, then he realized something…

“She looked younger…”

“That’s right.  That world won’t be endin’, she’s like Cain, now.”

“Cursed?”

“ _Immortal_ , in the same way he was but _she’s_ come by it naturally.”

Lucifer thought about his double.  Bastard had it all.  An immortal Chloe who loved him, truly.  There was a crunch as the shot glass in his hand broke.  The barman handed him a cloth, as though he was used to that kind of thing.

“You know what I think, son?  I think you’re afraid to be happy.  Chloe, the one upstairs talkin’ to your therapist, has loved you for a long time.  In fact, that’s what she’s up there talkin’ about, right now.”

“Don’t _spy_ on her.  _How_ long has she..?”

“Since she saw your scars.”

“But that was…”

“See, up until then, she just thought _you_ were what you were pretendin’ to be - shallow as a parkin’ lot puddle - then she caught a glimpse of your soul and just like that, she started to fall.  After that, nothin’ you could do or say was goin’ to stop it.”

“But… she… with Cain…”

“ _You_ made out you didn’t _want_ her and that manipulatin’ piece of shit saw an openin’ and took it.  Lucky for you _she_ had the strength to call it off.”

“So it was _real_ , all this time…”

“It was and, if not for your mother stickin’ her oar in, the two of you could have been bein’ happy, _all this time_.  Now, you remember what I told you about that _other_ Chloe?”

“Immortal.  Yes.”

“And I’m _sure_ that you remember that I made _your_ Chloe out of _that_ Chloe.”

“Do you _mean_ that you..?”

“Whether you want her or not, she’s here for the long haul.  If you can’t find it in yourself to love her, at least be a good friend.  She’ll need that.”

“Of _course_ I _love_ her.”

“Then go upstairs and make her _happy_.”

“You did this _deliberately_?  You _can’t_ just…”

“I can do anythin' I want to, Son.  I’m God.”

 

 


End file.
